The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) was certified ready for sea after successfully completing Crew Certification Phases II and III, May 2. Crew Certification is a five-day process where the Immediate Superior in Command (ISIC) ensures a ship is ready to
Thursday night, 10 April 2014, was another beautiful night on the deck of HMAS Choules when “Hands to Flying Stations” was called. Contently walking towards the Helicopter Control Console, the Ship’s Aviation Officer (SAVO) Lieutenant Commander John Sime, set up for yet another night of flying. Th
Guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61) returned to its Naval Station Norfolk homeport May 4 after a nine-month deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Ramage, which deployed Aug. 7, 2013, supported maritime security operations and conducted theater security cooperation efforts d
Command of USS Stout (DDG 55), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, officially changed hands during a ceremony May 2 at Naval Station Norfolk. Cmdr. Andrew Fitzpatrick assumed command from Cmdr. Bob Alpigini. Past and present crew members, friends, and family attended the time-honored change of comma
On 30 April, container ship MV Jumme Trader launched a SOS message after a crew member became very ill. The SOS was picked up by the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg and the Force Commander on board immediately directed EU Naval Force French warship, FS Floréal, to provide medical assistance
USA: Babcock & Wilcox Company Gets USD 195 Million Naval Reactors Contracts The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) announced yesterday that its subsidiary B&W Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. (B&W NOG) has received contracts and orders from the U.S. Naval Reactors Program worth approximately $195 million.
The U.S. Navy’s first-in-class joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) left the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, May 2, after more than three months of operating in the European and African theaters. Since entering the theater in late January, Spearhead conducted maritime security operat
The X-47B unmanned combat air system is gearing up for shore-based flight test activities in preparation for the next round of sea trials this summer. The program’s test team will conduct various test events with the X-47B over the next few months in an effort to mature air traffic control and gro
A £36M (USD 60.6M) contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been placed with MBDA for the Land variant of the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADSLand). This will fund an Assessment Phase that will demonstrate the adaptation and evolution of core weapon system subsystems (e.g. co
An MQ-8B Fire Scout sits on the flight deck of USS Freedom (LCS 1) April 30 off the coast of San Diego, Calif. Sailors from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 are conducting the first combined operations between the unmanned Fire Scout and the manned H-60 helicopter aboard the littoral c
Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 along with the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, numerous U.S. Navy commands, and Australian navy completed a the four-day annual Fleet Synthetic Training-Joint (FST-J) 72 exercise, May 2. As the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed CSG, this training hones the skills of warfare
On April 17th, a boarding team of HNLMS Evertsen of the Dutch Navy boarded BigLift’s Happy Dragon in a drill against piracy. The drill took place in the Gulf of Aden. HNLMS Evertsen and Happy Dragon met out at sea to practice a so-called boarding operation. Happy Dragon assumed the part of a captu
Cardiff based P2000 HMS Exploit has completed a tour of Scotland and Northern Ireland visiting a range of Islands, lochs, villages and towns over the past month. Exploit began her journey from the busy tourist resort of Portrush on the north coast of Northern Ireland, catching a sight of the famou
On Thursday 1 May Latvia celebrated its 10th anniversary as a member of the European Union. During the past decade Latvian National Armed Forces have made a significant contribution to EU operations, including the EU’s counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia, Operation Atalanta. Latvian Na
